It's the Little Things
by AquaTurquoise
Summary: When Cedric gives Sofia a gift for passing a series of tests, she reflects on how a little encouragement really can go a long way.


It's the Little Things

Summary: When Cedric gives Sofia a gift for passing a series of tests, she reflects on how a little encouragement really can go a long way.

Disclaimer: I don't own Sofia the First. :)

A/N: This is just a little idea that popped into my head. Sorry I've been inactive for most of this week. It's been slightly hectic, which is usually true whenever four-day weeks are involved...and no, they don't make the week go faster! Ah, well. Haha. Hope you enjoy!

Sofia yawned sleepily as she placed her school bag on her bed. It had been a rather busy couple of weeks. She'd had several tests she'd been studying for, and that had cut into her time with Cedric. She still tried to visit each day, but their lessons were significantly shorter due to the testing period.

Finally, things had settled down and she was able to settle back into her normal routine. For that, she was both glad and relieved. Training in magic, despite complicated spells, would always be far easier to the princess than attempting to recall centuries' worth of historical analogs.

Feeling a draft in her room, Sofia shivered. She walked into her closet and sought out a warmer dress. She chose—with no surprise—a purple long sleeved dress that practically echoed the pattern she normally wore. However, this time, she wouldn't be shaking from the cold while attempting to complete some spells.

Once she was changed, she hurried toward the tower so she could finally meet up with Cedric again. She knocked and waited patiently until he called for her to enter.

Cedric smirked upon seeing his apprentice enter. "Well, look who has finally returned," he joked lightly, chuckling when he saw her guilty smile. "I sincerely hope all that studying was worth it."

"Oh, it was," she acknowledged as she climbed into her chair and sat across from him. "I passed every single test."

"Why am I not surprised?" He smiled proudly. "You know, you are rather intelligent, Sofia. You could actually do many greater things one day also."

She shrugged modestly. "Thanks, Mr. Cedric, but I just study like I'm supposed to and try my best…"

"And that, my dear, is going to be a dying art. Believe me." He rolled his eyes. "Even in my days in sorcery school, there were those trying to find the easy way out—cheating, bribing, and so on. But the ones who stuck it out managed to do great things."

"Like you!" she said happily, making him shrug with a shy glance toward the floor. "Aw, come on, Mr. Cedric. You're pretty smart yourself. Somewhat unsure and self-doubting, which we're going to work on, but you're the smartest person I know." She smiled as he nodded appreciatively toward her.

"Well, thank you, Princess Sofia." He lit up and waved one hand in realization. "Oh, hang on. I have something for you."

Curious, Sofia leaned over the table as he turned and rummaged through a few cabinets. "Did you lose something?"

"It's not so much as I 'lost' it as it has 'misplaced' itself… Ah-hah! There it is." He grabbed something wrapped in some fabric and turned back toward the girl. "All right, this is a small gift for you as a congratulatory occasion—what with your passing your tests and abandoning me for a few weeks and everything."

She giggled when he laughed. "Mr. Cedric… You didn't have to do that." She smiled as he handed her the gift, which she took and unwrapped carefully. She gasped when she extracted a doll that appeared to be a replica of herself. "Wow, did you make this, Mr. Cedric?"

"I did," he said excitedly before clearing his throat. "I mean, yes… I actually located one of those doll bases you had me use to create your last doll and did the rest myself. It was quite a work of labor."

"It's so pretty! Thank you!" She grinned as he walked over to her so that she wouldn't have to leave her chair for a change. She leaned over and hugged her friend happily. "You're the best mentor ever."

"I know," he jested, returning the hug. "So therefore, I expect to be showered with gifts on that dreaded 'Teacher Appreciation Day' later on."

She giggled. "I'll see what I can do." She looked at her doll and smiled at it fondly. "She'll go very nicely with the other dolls."

"I'm happy you liked it, even more than I thought you would. It's just a doll, after all."

Sofia shook her head gently. "No, Mr. Cedric; it's the little things that mean the most to me. Even if it's 'just' a doll, you obviously cared enough to consider making it and actually doing it in the end. That means a lot to me." She smiled. "One of these days, I'm going to tell everyone how nice you really are."

He gasped in feigned horror and frowned. "Don't even think about it. I've got a reputation to uphold, you know. The more distant I am, the less people will bother me."

She giggled. "Oh, fine… Whatever you say, Mr. Cedric."

"So, onto today's lesson, yes?"

"I can't wait!" She placed her doll on the chair beside her as Cedric gathered ingredients and notes so they could begin their newest adventure.

The end

A/N: All right, everyone! I hope this little story made you smile. I'm working on getting the next chapter of "The Ties of Friendship" done, which it hopefully will be during the weekend at some point. Also, my next story is going to be one that I've had in mind for several months now but just simply have not done yet. It will focus on Baileywick. :) With that said, I hope you all have had a nice week, and I'm excited for the weekend to get here so I can sleep…and write…and sleep…and eat Teddy Grahams. Lol. Good night, and be well! ~AquaTurquoise


End file.
